Nearly 300 young participants from rural, tribal and marginalised communities took part in the festival
New Delhi: The National School of Drama (NSD), in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), successfully concluded Rang Pallav 3.0, the third edition of the National Children’s Theatre Festival, at the Abhimanch Auditorium, NSD, New Delhi.
The festival marked the culmination of a month-long national theatre initiative supported by IOCL, aimed at fostering creativity, confidence and self-expression among nearly 300 children from marginalised, rural and tribal communities across the country.
Over two days, the festival showcased eight children’s theatre productions from seven states, highlighting the transformative role of theatre in nurturing imagination, communication skills and personal growth among young participants.
The concluding day of the festival was graced by Ms. Rashmi Govil, Director (Human Resources), IOCL, as the Chief Guest, Mr. Adil Hussain, noted Indian actor, as the Guest of Honour, and Shri Bibhuti Ranjan Pradhan, Executive Director (Coordination & CSR), IOCL, as the Special Guest.
Shri Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, NSD, delivered the welcome address, while Shri Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, Registrar, NSD, proposed the vote of thanks.
Shri Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, NSD, delivered the welcome address, while Shri Pradeep Kumar Mohanty, Registrar, NSD, proposed the vote of thanks.
On the first day of the festival, 21 June, the productions Shanti Ki Pukar (Rajghat, Delhi; workshop directed by Nisha Trivedi, Assistant Director: Pradeep Bhanudas Kamble), The Missile Man (Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu; workshop directed by Abhishek Garg, Assistant Director: Ravi Vellimalai), Hatao Aaba-Aaba (Gadchiroli, Maharashtra; workshop directed by Akhilesh Khanna, Assistant Director: Khushboo Kumari), and Shabari Ke Ram (Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh; workshop directed by Muskan Goswami, Assistant Director: Aditi Gupta) were presented.
On the second and concluding day, 22 June, the productions Bhootnagari (Najafgarh, Delhi; workshop directed by Gulshan Walia, Assistant Director: Sarika Bharti), Mo Saanga (Keonjhar, Odisha; workshop directed by Avinash Deshpande, Assistant Director: Debanand Nayak), Deep Daan (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan; workshop directed by Naresh Pal Singh Chauhan), and Pyar Satkar (Ferozpur, Punjab; workshop directed by Preetpal Rupana, Assistant Director: Chandan Kumar) were staged.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, NSD, said, “Our institution is working towards theatre education and training for all age groups, ranging from children to senior citizens. In order to build a Viksit Bharat, we need to nurture the mind, body and spirit of our citizens, and we remain committed to supporting that vision.”
Shri Tripathy also highlighted some of NSD’s recent initiatives in children’s theatre, including the training of more than 75 teachers in Jammu and Kashmir, theatre workshops for children in remand homes, and theatre training programmes in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
In her message, Ms. Rashmi Govil, Director (Human Resources), IOCL, stated, “The Rang Pallav Children’s Theatre Festival, which began in Delhi, has now expanded to eight locations across the country, encouraging young theatre talents from diverse regions and linguistic backgrounds.”
She further added, “Whenever I visit NSD, I witness the institution’s commitment towards nurturing cultural values and ethos among its students. Theatre and cinema are often described as mirrors of society, while children represent the future of the nation. When the future of the country connects with the mirror of society, it contributes meaningfully to nation-building.”
On the occasion, Mr. Adil Hussain said, “There is no denying that theatre is a powerful medium that helps participants understand human civilisation and society more closely. Our conventional education system largely equips us with survival and livelihood skills, but offers limited opportunities for deeper self-exploration. Through NSD, I was able to explore my inner self, my socio-political awareness and my spiritual consciousness, and that quest continues to inspire me even today.”
Since the launch of the Rang Pallav initiative, more than 1,000 schoolchildren across the country have benefited from the programme under NSD’s Project Monitoring Unit.
During the concluding ceremony, NSD’s Hindi Department launched the 30th and 31st editions of Raj Bhasha Manjusha, an in-house magazine featuring articles, short stories and poetry contributed by NSD staff members and external writers. In addition, the book Oh God Tussi Great Ho, a collection of four children’s plays written by senior theatre practitioner and trainer Shri Akhilesh Khanna, was also launched.